PESHAWAR, Jan 14: Reacting to the announcement of President Pervez Musharraf regarding construction of the Kalabagh dam during a public meeting in Swabi on Saturday, the Awami National Party has warned that its workers would thwart such plans. In a statement issued on Sunday, ANP’s secretary information Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that State Minister Amir Muqam was in the habit of changing loyalties and that turncoats like him alone could support the president. He said that people of the Frontier province would soon take Amir Muqam to task for his support for the controversial dam, which was bound to sink the NWFP.

He said that President Musharraf had come to power “illegally and unconstitutionally”. He said it was unfortunate that a person who was supposed to be sent to gallows had become president of the country.

The ANP leader was of the view that the president was playing a bloody game with the lives of the people of the country. The policies pursued by him “were resulting in the killing of innocent people in Waziristan, Bajaur Agency and Balochistan”.

He said the country’s solidarity had been put at stake due to the president’s policies.

He said the army, which was supposed to defend national frontiers, had been “engaged in occupying national resources”.

He said the dam was a project that would sink the NWFP and the people would never allow its construction.

He said the people knew it full well how to deal with people like Amir Muqam and the day was not far off when they would throw him out of the province.

He said General Musharraf should take lessons from ex-military dictators’ fate and desist from building the Kalabagh dam.